Data Center Operations Manager

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Data Center Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing a designated Data Center Pod, which includes up to three hyperscale data center campuses, supporting as many as 15 production buildings and a workforce of over 200 employees. Reporting to the Service Delivery Manager or Service Director (depending on pod size), this role provides operational leadership across multiple service lines while ensuring exceptional customer service, operational excellence, workforce development, and compliance with contractual SLA performance.  You will serve as the primary operational contact for assigned clients and is accountable for service delivery, staffing, operational readiness, financial performance, safety, and KPI achievement across the assigned portfolio.

 

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Operational Leadership  
• Lead daily operations across multiple data center campuses, including Network Operations, Field Operations, Deployment Services, and Infrastructure Support.  
• Ensure safe, reliable, and efficient 24x7 operations while meeting customer and contractual requirements.  
• Drive operational readiness, incident management, risk mitigation, business continuity, and service quality.  
• Oversee staffing, workforce planning, scheduling, capacity management, and operational execution.  
Client Relationship Management  
• Serve as the primary operational contact for assigned customer stakeholders.
• Build strong client relationships through consistent communication, transparency, and execution.  
• Lead operational reviews, executive business reviews, and quarterly business reviews (QBRs).  
• Present operational performance, SLA results, capacity planning, risks, and continuous improvement initiatives.  
• Resolve customer escalations and identify opportunities to enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction.  
Leadership & Talent Development  
• Lead and develop a team of Service Leads, Technical Leads, and Data Center Technicians.  
• Drive employee engagement, coaching, mentoring, performance management, succession planning, and leadership development.  
• Partner with Human Resources and Recruiting to support hiring, onboarding, and workforce growth.  
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, customer service, and continuous improvement.  
Operational & Financial Performance  
• Manage operational budgets, labor forecasting, overtime, resource utilization, and productivity.  
• Monitor operational performance using dashboards, KPIs, and scorecards.  
• Ensure compliance with company policies, customer requirements, safety standards, and audit readiness.  
• Drive Lean process improvements, automation, standardization, and operational efficiencies.  
Performance Expectations  
Success in this role is measured through the following performance scorecard:
• SLA Performance (35%) – Contractual compliance, uptime, customer satisfaction, and service delivery.  
• Delivery & Throughput (20%) – Productivity, labor utilization, work completed versus forecast, and operational output.  
• Quality & Accuracy (15%) – First-time-right execution, QA/QC performance, audit compliance, and documentation accuracy.  
• Repair & Responsiveness (15%) – Ticket response time, incident management, MTTR, backlog reduction, and escalation management.  
• Governance & Reporting (10%) – Weekly and monthly operational reporting, dashboard accuracy, compliance, and audit readiness.  
• Continuous Improvement (5%) – Delivery of process improvements, automation opportunities, operational efficiencies, and a minimum of three improvement initiatives per quarter.  

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, information technology, or a related field, or equivalent on-the-job experience.  
• 8+ years of leadership experience in data center operations, managed services, critical facilities, or mission-critical operations.  
• 5+ years managing multiple operational teams across geographically distributed sites.  
• Experience leading organizations of 100+ employees; experience managing 200+ employees is preferred.  
• Demonstrated success managing enterprise or hyperscale customer relationships.  
• Experience leading 24x7 operations with accountability for safety, service delivery, and operational performance.  
• Strong financial and business management skills, including budgeting, workforce planning, and operational forecasting.
• Proven ability to lead organizational change and continuous improvement initiatives.  

 

Preferred Qualifications  
• Experience supporting managed service, IT operations, and business operations.  
• Knowledge of ITIL service management principles.  
• Lean Six Sigma, PMP, or other project management certifications.  
• Experience with executive dashboards, KPI reporting, and business reviews.  
• Strong understanding of mission-critical infrastructure and data center operations.